The Knight Breaker
by BatNeko
Summary: Hyrule has hit the industrial revolution, and different kind of revolution seems to be lurking in the wings. Conspiracy, murder, and masks abound. Can anyone be trusted? There are things in the shadows that not even shadows can imagine.
1. A Brief History

**The Legend of Zelda: The Knight-Breaker**

**By BatNeko**

**Rating: R**

**WARNING:** This story is ever-so-slightly different from my previous ones… It is rated R, for starters, and not just for language. Oh there WILL be cussing. And sex. And gay sex. And violence. And further cussing. So if you're looking for a happy little romp, full of adventure and romance…well, okay, you've come to the right place. But there will also be a lot of f-bombs (who came up with that phrase come on) and adult situations. Deal with it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters or… You know what, fuck it. This is FANFICTIONDOTNET. If that alone doesn't tell you that the stories on this site feature characters and situations that are not the property of the authors…then I just don't know what to tell you.

**Summary:** Hyrule has hit the industrial revolution, and different kind of revolution seems to be lurking in the wings. Conspiracy, murder, and masks abound. Can anyone be trusted? There are things in the shadows that not even shadows can imagine.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

**Prologue**

It was dark. It was always dark. It was cold. It was always cold. And he was alone. He was always, always alone.

There were brief flashes of light, from time to time. He didn't know who they were, where they came from, or how long it was between each one. That was the worst part, sometimes, that he had no way of knowing how long he had been alone.

The shadow waited, in the dark, in the cold, going slowly insane and knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it.

**Chapter One. A Brief History**

_The Hylian race is dying._

_In the past fifty years, the birthrate among Hylians has dropped to nearly half of what it once was. The deathrate, on the other hand, has nearly tripled. The current average age of death for Hylians is forty-seven._

_In comparison, the life expectancy of humans is seventy._

_There has been no outbreak of disease, no plague or infection to cause this. New technology is springing up around every corner, and most of it would seem to __**improve**__ the quality of life. And yet, for some reason, the Hylian race is dying._

_And we are not alone. The Zora, once strong allies of the Hyrulian Royal Family and hardly a rare sight, withdrew into the ocean approximately forty years ago. This was not a sudden move, and records from that time indicate that the Zora believed removing themselves from human and the other land-dwelling races would somehow prevent their deterioration. The Gorons as well no longer keep contact with other races, and their former cities bear signs of full-scale abandonment. The Sheikah, never a numerous people, announced that they would be forming their own nation in the lands once belonging to the Garo._

_No one knows what happened to the Kokiri._

_Only the humans are unaffected, and their numbers increase steadily while others dwindle. The most likely hypothesis so far suggests a magical cause, since of all the races of Hyrule only the humans to do not have innate magical abilities. They can be taught, of course, and there have been human sorcerers who put even Sheikah to shame, but they are not born with the skill, and are indeed resistant to spells that would cripple a Hylian._

_Thus the only problem remains…what is the cause behind this? Has the land itself begun to reject its own people? It is true that the monarchy no longer holds the power it once did…or any power, for that matter; but that hardly seems like just cause for genocide. And what living being would have the inclination, or the __**strength**__, for such a blight?_

_In my study of history, I have found a number of dips in population and birthrate that usually preceded some kind of social or political upheaval. War, or coup __d'état, does not seem to be on the horizon, but we cannot put the possibility aside._

_In the end, all I have is speculation. My people are dying, and no one else seems to understand. All I can think of to do is seek out more information, the cause of this, and hopefully a way to stop it._

_I don't know about you blokes, but I don't want to die._

_~Shad Traumer_

_Note to self – Tighten up language, try to sound less like a conspiracy nut. Add more semi-colons. Bloody hell._

zzz

"He's been spotted to the north," the bartender said, his tone low. "Not more than a week ago."

The two men listening to him gaped. "How many killed?" the one drinking a straight whiskey breathed.

"At least a dozen," the bartender said, drawing the words out with relish.

"Madman," the Scotch-and-Soda said.

"Maybe," the bartender agreed. "But he gets the job done."

"Which would you rather have at your back," the Straight-Whiskey added. "A regiment of knights, or the Dawn?"

Across the crowded taproom, two men sat at a table. One, with long red hair and glasses, was jiggling his foot nervously and trying not to stare at his companion. The other was a young Sheikah, half his face hidden by a mask and most of his body wrapped in a cloak. His hair was long as well, but choppy, inexpertly cut. The redhead looked as though he'd never set foot out of a city in his life, yet here he was, in a tavern, on the edge of the wildest parts of the outlands.

The Sheikah was flipping through a stack of papers, wrinkled and water-damaged. Occasionally his eyebrows rose under his hair, and once he gasped softly. The redhead bit his lip at that.

"Well?" he asked when the Sheikah turned the last page.

"Can you prove any of this?"

"No. That's the problem. It's all hearsay and speculation. But I _know_ it's true. I mean, I don't know a single Hylian without at least one parent dead, usually both."

"That's true…" the Sheikah said thoughtfully. "So your people are dying, and you can't find a cause."

"Essentially, yes. But yours are too."

The Sheikah glared at him, ruby red eyes narrowing dangerously. "I'm well aware of that," he said coldly.

The city boy gulped. "Begging your pardon."

The Sheikah let his gaze drift across the tavern, taking in rugged men and women gossiping over their liquor. He was the only Sheikah in the room, and there were only two Hylians beside the city boy. There were more than thirty humans.

"Extinction of a species…" he murmured.

"That would be the worst-case-scenario."

"There's something else, that I'm not sure you've taken into account."

The city boy's ears perked up. "Oh?"

"The other things happening recently. The king and queen passing within years of each other. The princess disappearing on her coronation day. This… Dawn person."

"Dawn's just a vigilante," the city boy said quickly. "We don't know if he's human or Hylian."

"True, but what he _does_ is what's important."

"What he does?" the city boy repeated.

"He kills knights."

"Corrupt knights."

"So he _says_," the Sheikah growled. "But he kills them all the same."

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"The kingdom is falling apart," the Sheikah said, struggling not to shout. "Not just the Hylians themselves, but the whole _country_ is dying."

"The country?"

"The way it was. The history, the traditions."

"Times move on," the city boy said. "Swords aren't efficient any more, the railway will be finished in a couple of years. The old traditions just don't hold up any more."

"And the fact that the only member of the royal family left hasn't left the palace since the princess vanished?"

"He's in mourning. Wouldn't you be?"

The Sheikah shook his head, gritting his teeth beneath his mask. "I don't think that's it."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're trying to say, Sheik."

"Think about it Shad. The kingdom, Hyrule, is dying. And there's no apparent explanation for it."

"Hyrule is…" Shad's eyes widened. "You don't think…"

"I _hope_ it's not true," Sheik sighed. "But it's a possibility that should be considered."

"Ganon," Shad whispered. "Dear Gods…"

"I hope it's not true," Sheik said again. "If it really is just… times moving on, I could accept that. But there are things happening that can't be explained through natural selection."

"Like what?"

Sheik said nothing.

"Sheik?"

"It's best if you stay out of it," he said. "After all, if it _is_ Ganon, and I do somehow help to defeat him, you need to stay alive to repopulate the species."

Shad laughed sheepishly. "I… I don't think that's going to happen."

"Don't be silly, you're very handsome, you could find a nice girl."

Shad coughed and refused to meet Sheik's eyes. Sheik blinked. Slowly, his cheeks flushed red.

"Oh… oh! Oh, gods, sorry, I didn't know you were-"

Shad hissed him quiet. "I don't exactly want to go advertising it. Especially in this crowd."

"Right, right, of course." Sheik pressed a hand to his flaming cheek. "Sorry."

"It's all right." Shad coughed again, uncomfortably, and started gathering up his papers. "I've got to get going. I want to make it back to Thurston by nightfall."

"All right. Take care."

"You as well. And you know where to find me if you ever need help of the scholarly sort."

"Of course." Sheik smiled at him, the tightness of his mask and the way his eyes crinkled making the expression clear. "Thank you."

"It's nothing."

The city boy left, followed by the glares of those bar patrons more observant than Sheik. He stared down at the table for a long time, finally removing his right hand from under his cloak and staring at the back of it instead.

"Which would be worse," he mumbled to himself. "Ganon, or our goddesses forsaking us?"

The bartender had finished his tale of violence and mayhem, and was basking in the new crop of discussions he had caused.

"Dawn's a menace," the Scotch-and-Soda said. "How long before he turns from knights to plain soldiers. Those are our boys!"

"_My_ boys never fought for a corrupt kingdom," the Straight Whiskey said. "And they never will."

"Who's to say Dawn won't start killing innocent civilians?"

A Wheat Beer, who had been listening quietly for a while, raised his head. "Who's to say he will?"

"Well, a man gets used to killing; sometimes it's hard to stop."

"That's true," the Wheat Beer agreed, and went back to drinking, blond hair falling over his long ears.

The arguing carried on without him, after Sheik finished musing and headed to his room for the night, after the Scotch-and-Soda switched to plain Scotch, after the bartender stopped serving them at all and they were fueled only by their own vitriol. Others joined in, and by the time last call was announced there wasn't a man in the room who hadn't offered some kind of opinion about the man known as Dawn, the Knight-Breaker.

As the less deadly dawn was peeking over the horizon, the last of the men stumbled out of the tavern and toward his horse. He noticed the Wheat Beer walking west along the dirt track that served as a road.

"Don't you know it's dangerous out there? Where you going boy?"

The Wheat Beer turned his head and smiled a little. "Forward."


	2. Decline and Fall

**Chapter Two. Decline and Fall**

When Princess Zelda del Hyrule was seventeen years old, her father died.

It didn't come as a surprise, he was not young and had been ill for a long time, but when she thought back over the course of her life and tried to spot the moment it all started going downhill…that was it.

She woke to a darkened bedroom, too dark to be morning. The last echoes of a dream had her swinging her feet from under the covers and pulling on a dressing gown without thought. There had been darkness…and fire…and then, sunrise, and the sound of metal on metal.

A sense of wrongness flowed from the walls, and there was the sound of running feet in the hall outside her bedroom. She followed them to her father's bedroom, stopping outside the door. She didn't want to see what was beyond it.

Someone arrived behind her; she could sense their presence before she heard them. "Your highness?"

"Is he gone?" Zelda asked softly.

"Y- your father?"

"He is, then." She stepped away from the door, smiling as best she could at the hapless maid. "It's all right. I knew it would happen soon."

She started back to her room, fighting back tears. She would have to get it all out tonight, because tomorrow there would be too much to do.

Zelda almost ran smack into her cousin as she went around the corner. He caught her by the shoulders and stared down at her, looking vaguely stunned.

"Vaati…"

"Zel…" He let go of her and rubbed his eyes. "What hap… What's going on?"

"My father… The king is dead."

Vaati bit his lip. "Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be without poking the body. I- I didn't want to look."

"You shouldn't." Vaati patted her arm. "I'll go… check on things."

"Are you okay Vaati? You look tired."

"Well, it's the middle of the night."

"I know, but…"

He smiled wanly. "I've been having nightmares. Stress, you know. But it's fine. It's just dreams… right?"

"Right…"

zzz

Sheik had been traveling alone for three days. There had been a couple pretty believable reports that what he was looking for was located to the west, so he'd packed some supplies and started walking. He couldn't help but take the rumors with a grain of salt, but he didn't have any _other_ leads.

These were the outlands. The spaces that had once belonged to one or other of the magic-based races that had vanished from Hyrule. In theory the royal family ruled these lands. In theory, communism worked.

In reality the area was sparsely populated at best, and there were monsters abounding. The Bulblin had set up a settlement somewhere in the plains, the forest was full of spiders and morths and things that grabbed from the shadows, the desert drove men mad, and no one who swam in the lake ever returned to shore. Sheik had been mostly unmolested so far. He'd had to fight off a few stalchildren after dark, but his spells kept most things at bay.

But there were worse things than monsters in Hyrule, and Sheik had forgotten to take those into account.

He ran into them near dusk on the third day since he'd left the last town. A trio of knights, their armor gleaming in the dying light. They were all mounted, and a fourth horse was standing with them. Sheik kept his head low and walked slowly, but not too slowly. It wasn't good to draw their attention.

The knights of Hyrule had been good decent men, once. But power had gone to their heads, and it had become a kind of "boy's club" for soldiers who were better at sucking up than protecting people. The royal family didn't know, they knighted soldiers for meritorious service, which was easy to fake. But the common people knew. And Sheik knew, now.

He'd learned the hard way, months ago when he'd first started this quest. He'd thought the Sheikah were still respected in Hyrule. He hadn't expected… the reception he got.

The knights watched him walk, their helmets creaking as they turned their heads. Sheik could hear them whispering and chuckling behind him.

"Hey! Shrimpie!"

Sheik kept walking.

"Hey! I'm _talking_ to you fag!"

Sheik hunched his shoulders and walked faster.

He heard the sound of metal on metal and broke into a run.

There was a hill up ahead, and beyond it Sheik could see the beginnings of a forest. If Sheik could just beat the knights to the trees he could hide. But if they caught him, a beating would be the best he could hope for.

Hoofbeats behind him, and shouted slurs and racial epithets. Sheik let his cloak flow behind him, his pack bouncing painfully on his back. He was fast, but not as fast as a horse.

The first blow was, thankfully, from a thrown rock. It hit Sheik's shoulder, making him stumble. The next was a sword, but Sheik managed to duck and roll away as the horses thundered past him. He sprang to his feet and kept running, his pack lying on the ground behind him, one of the straps severed.

Something crashed. Curiosity won out over common sense, and Sheik twisted around as he ran to look behind him. One of the knights had fallen off his horse, and the other two were wheeling around. A person was standing between them. Sheik heard metal crashing again and came to a complete stop.

The new person was wearing an orange cloak that faded to pink at the bottom. He had an orange mask too, and his clothes were similar shades. He was fighting the two still-mounted knights at the same time, sword blurring as he moved. Sheik didn't know whether to move, or stay here and stare. It couldn't really be… Dawn?

Who else would wear an orange-and-pink cloak? There was no sense to it. But the man, whoever he was, did not show any mercy toward the knights. When the second one's neck burst in a spray of red, Sheik's body made the decision for him and he took of running once again.

He could hear the fighting and shouting for what felt like ages. His cloak got caught almost as soon as he hit the tree line, and he let that go too. Maybe it was cowardice, but Sheik didn't particularly care. There had been stories about Dawn for nearly four years now. Long enough that Sheik knew he _really_ did not want to meet the man.

Even if he had saved him from those knights…

By the time Sheik ran out of breath he was far enough into the forest he could no longer see the plain he'd left. He'd lost all his supplies and it was getting colder and darker by the second. It was hardly any wonder he jumped when he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey!"

It didn't sound like the knight from before, but there were still two others, not to mention Dawn. Sheik felt justified in running away from all those options. He was tired now though, and whoever-it-was kept shouting after him as he dodged trees. It was only one person, maybe…

Sheik spun around. He was done running. With a yell he charged at the stranger, threw a kick-

And found himself hanging upside-down.

His ankle was held tightly in the grip of the person who'd been following him. Sheik peered up and saw a young man, blond, and dressed in green and brown. He didn't look like any of the knights, or Dawn.

"You're not who I thought you were," Sheik said.

"My knees are happy to hear that," the man said dryly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm upside-down."

"I know, I'm trying to figure out how to put you down."

"Just drop me."

"Are you sure?"

"I won't break."

The man dropped him obligingly and Sheik scrambled to his feet.

"Uh, sorry about that."

The man shrugged. "I saw what happened back there. You've got every reason to be jumpy."

"Yeah…" Sheik dusted off his knees. "You saw that, huh?"

"I was here, lying low. Those knights showed up a little before you did."

"Any of them follow me?"

"I…" The guy shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think any of them will be following _anyone_."

"Oh…"

There was an uncomfortable silence. The man brushed his hair over his ears and coughed.

"Uh so. My name's Link."

"Oh, oh! Right. I'm Sheik."

"Hey," Link stuck his hand out, smiling. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Sheik shook his hand, noting the calluses and his leather gloves. "Are you a soldier?"

"Was," Link said. "A while ago." He gestured at his back, where Sheik saw the hilt of a sword emerging from his pack. "But everyone's gotta know how to fight these days."

"That's true."

"Where are you headed?"

"West," Sheik said. "There's… something I'm looking for."

"Oh yeah? What?"

Sheik fingered his mask. "It's none of your business."

"Sorry, sorry, you're right." Link smiled sheepishly. "I haven't talked to anyone in days, I guess I'm a little out of it."

"Why? Where are _you_ headed?"

"Nowhere in particular. I'm just traveling for the sake of traveling."

A breeze blew through the trees and Sheik shivered.

"Oh geez, sorry!" Link exclaimed. He shrugged off his pack and handed his clock to Sheik. "You can wear that, let's go back and get your stuff."

"I'd rather not go back there. What if the knights, or Dawn…"

"Dawn's gone, I saw him go. And the knights… aren't going to be any trouble." Link frowned as he said it.

"You don't approve?"

"Not really." They started walking back toward the edge of the forest, Sheik wrapped in Link's cloak. "I know a lot of the knights are… a bit heavy-handed. But I don't like the way Dawn handles it. I guess I don't think killing people does any good."

"Odd attitude for a soldier."

"_Was_ a soldier," Link corrected. "There's a reason I'm not one any more."

"You must admit there are some situations where you just don't have a choice."

"There's always a choice," Link countered. "But… sometimes it's the lesser of two evils. And there are people in the world who should be executed, for the safety of everyone else." Link chuckled suddenly. "I should know better then to make broad statements like that. My sister jumps all over them too."

"How old is she?"

"Sixteen. You have any siblings?"

"No. I would have liked to though."

Link shrugged. "Me and Aryll were all each other had growing up. I don't know if things would have been better or worse if one of us were on our own."

"Worse, probably," Sheik said. "When all you've got is yourself, you do things that… you never thought you could be capable of."

Link, wisely perhaps, said nothing.

They walked in silence until they reached the edge of the forest. Sheik retrieved his cloak from where it was stuck on a branch, and returned Link's to him. They both walked out onto the plain to get his torn pack, Sheik at least feeling a little uncomfortable out of the shelter of the trees. Only the strap was torn, and Sheik managed to tie the two ends together. He could do a more permanent repair job later.

"Listen…" Link said, shifting his weight. "Uh, I was wondering, since we're both headed in the same direction, we might as well travel together, right?"

Sheik narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Safety in numbers? Plus it's getting dark. I lost my last travel companion to… reasons, and I'd rather not have to get through these woods alone."

Sheik shrugged. "Fair enough. You set up a fire pit, I'll find kindling?"

"Sounds good."

They had a campsite in less than an hour, and Link was dutifully impressed by Sheik's ability to light a fire with nothing but a gesture and a word. They settled in for the night, sitting close but not too close. After about an hour the conversation petered out, and they stared at the fire in mostly-uncomfortable silence.

"Can I ask you something?" Link said suddenly.

"As long as it's not about the mask."

Link said nothing.

"Is it about the mask?"

"Kind of?"

Sheik sighed. "Go ahead."

"What's the deal with the mask?"

Sheik threw another branch on the fire as he tried to think of how to explain. "It's… sort of a tradition. But it's more serious than most people treat those nowadays."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm on a quest. I'm looking for something. And as long as I'm on this quest… I can't be who I really am."

"Huh?"

"Sheik isn't my real name. I can't tell you, or anyone, my real name because I don't have the right to have it now. I belong to the quest, not to myself. My face, my past, my own desires. None of those are as important as what I'm trying to do."

Link stared at him for a while. "What if… you can't complete it? What if you never find this thing?"

"Then I'll be Sheik forever."

There was a long pause while they both thought about that.

"That sucks."

"A little bit, yes."


	3. Ghost Town

**Chapter Three. Ghost Town**

Aryll was crying. Link rocked her as best he could, but his arms were too short to really hold the girl properly.

"Look," he whispered to his sister. "There she is."

Aryll sniffled and raised her head to look at the white horse passing by. A little girl sat atop it, dressed in pink and white and lavender. "Prin?" Aryll said.

"Yeah, that's the princess." Link said. "She's ten, just like me."

"Pridy." Aryll rested her head on her brother's shoulder.

"She is pretty, huh?" Link rubbed her back. "Let's go home, okay?"

"Mm."

As Link and Aryll walked back through the crowd, princess Zelda hunched over her saddle.

"Sit up straight, your Highness," Impa said beside her.

"Do we have to do this?"

"Yes we do. The people need to see you. Sit up straight and smile."

Zelda did, ten years of training taking over. She couldn't quite talk without moving her lips, the way Impa could, but she was getting better. "But why?"

"You're the princess. You're the symbol of the future of this country. Plus, you're cute. Everyone wants to think they'll be having a cute queen someday."

"I won't always be cute." Zelda stuck out her lower lip. "I'm gonna grow up and be _sexy_."

Impa's eyes narrowed, just slightly. "A lady shouldn't talk that way, or aspire to such things."

"I will though. Mama was sexy. You can tell from her portrait. I'm gonna-"

Impa made a warning noise in her throat.

"-I'm _going to_ look like her."

Impa was silent for a while as the procession moved through the city. "Yes," she said finally. "You probably will. And your mother was a beautiful woman."

"See?" Zelda smirked.

"Smile _nicely_, your Highness."

"Yes Impa."

zzz

It was a lot less tense traveling with a companion, Sheik decided. When you were alone, every sound could be an attack. But when you had company, you filled the silence with chit-chat or whistling, and somehow the fear just flew away.

Not that Sheik would ever have admitted to being afraid. He had sworn his life to this mission; it was silly to be afraid. If he died in the course of it… he had prepared.

Link was good company, aside from being easy on the eyes. He knew more about woodcraft than Sheik did, and was much better at making traps. He also knew when to let a subject go, so after his first attempt to learn about Sheik's mission he didn't bring it up again.

It was about a week after they'd met up when they started to get close to the next town. Here in the outlands towns were few and far between, and the ones who lived on them a harder kind of people. The still-unfinished railroad bisected Hyrule in two, and would, in theory, bring people and business to places it hadn't been before. But even that iron ray of hope hadn't reached out here.

The town Sheik was bound for was an old one. It was called Sawmill, and local legend claimed it had been founded as a town of Kokiri. Unfortunately the Kokiri had been one of the first races to start to vanish, and no one had seen or heard from any of them in decades.

The town still had a lot of history, as well as an old temple on its outskirts. It was as good a place as any to look for what Sheik was trying to find.

"You'll like this place," Link said. "They've got a decent local ale, and this thing they do with milk that will curl your toes."

"Is alcohol the only standard you judge a town by?"

"No, but a lot of the time it's the only part I remember."

Link was frowning slightly as they walked, looking around them. Once he bent down and brushed some leaves off a stone.

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. I expected to run into people long before this." He pointed at a rock by the side of the road. "Mile markers. The town usually has someone clearing them off every week. These are covered in leaves and moss."

"That's not good," Sheik said. "That's…" He swallowed. "Should we go back?"

"Don't know. If something really has happened, maybe we can help."

"I know, but…" Sheik shook his head. This was not the time to be indulging his survival instincts. "You're right. Let's keep going."

They reached the town, or what was left of it, about an hour later. It was still light, thankfully, and from a distance the small cluster of buildings looked like any other frontier village. But doors were torn from hinges, windows broken. One building had burned down to its frame, all the others near it scorched from the heat.

There were no signs of people, except a few dropped objects in the street. Link and Sheik searched a couple of the buildings and found more abandoned objects, some food, and long-dried blood. But no bodies, no bones. Nothing but the blood.

They gathered up some canned food and found a rain barrel full of water, and Link led the way to what had been the inn. It was torn up inside, whether from fight or flight was hard to tell. But the upstairs rooms were mostly all right, and after trying to make conversation for a few minutes, both men gave up and claimed a room for themselves.

Sheik lay awake for what felt like hours. He stared at the dark ceiling and tried not to imagine what had happened to the people of the town. They weren't all dead; they're clearly run away from something. But there'd been injuries, blood spilled. What could have hurt so many people enough to get them to abandon their whole town?

He couldn't sleep knowing whatever hurt the townspeople might still be out there. Would it be too cowardly to ask Link to let him sleep on his floor? Maybe he could just sneak in there, claim to be sleepwalking if Link caught him. It would be better than not sleeping at all.

Shiek took a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around himself. He was trying not to think about the _other_ connotations of sleeping in someone's room, and shook his head at himself as he pulled open the door.

Link stared down at him, hand raised to knock.

"Um."

"Uh."

They were thankfully saved from further conversation by some kind of bellow from outside. The two men glanced at each other and immediately ran for their packs.

Whatever it was, they were going to face it armed.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

AN:

Sorry sorry this is taking me so long. I have a lot of projects going at once, and it's hard to make this thing as epic as I WANT it to be. Short chapters mean faster updates.

Question. If I were to make hardback books of the Weekly Hyrule News on lulu, would any of you buy them? Please be honest, I need to know how many I should order. So if you WANT one, but know you don't have the money (around twenty dollars) just say so. No hard feelings.


	4. Eyegore

**Chapter Four. Eyegore**

"See?" Vaati pointed at the drawing in the book. "That's Volvagia."

"Vulvagga," Zelda tried.

"Vol-va-gi-a."

"Vol-va-gi-a," she repeated dutifully.

"He's a dragon!" Vaati's breath quickened in his chest. "He used to live in Death Mountain, but Ganon brought him back from the dead. The Hero of Time killed him!"

"Re-killed him?" Zelda asked, confused.

"Yeah! Turn the page, look." She obliged, and Vaati pointed at the next creature. "This is Gleeok. He's got two heads!"

"Wow!"

Metal heels clicking on hardwood floor alerted the two children to impending doom. Vaati ducked his head, but not soon enough as Impa swatted him.

"What have I told you about corrupting the princess?"

"I'm not corrupting her! We're looking at monsters!"

"The princess doesn't _need_ to know about monsters."

"Yuh-huh!" Zelda protested. She pointed at the roaring face on one of the dragon's heads. "Bad guy."

"Yes, your highness, he's a bad guy. And hopefully the only bad guys you ever meet are political rivals." Impa scooped her up and carried her out of the library, despite Vaati's protests.

"What if she needs to know this, huh? What if she has to fight monsters someday?"

"Don't you know?" Impa smirked over her shoulder. "Princesses always have a hero to fight _for_ them."

***

Sheik was feeling oddly naked as he ran outside. Maybe it was his missing mask, or his hair falling loose around his face. The mask was a symbol of his quest, but there was no one in this abandoned town except himself, Link, and whatever the two of them were running to fight.

The bellow hadn't been far. Link led the way, clearly having more experience at this kind of thing. He didn't say a word, communicating with Sheik through and gestures and, suddenly, grabbing his arm and yanking him against a wall.

"Wha-"

Link pressed a finger to his lips and shook his head. Sheik clammed up and waited, his patience rewarded when he noticed the same thing Link had; movement. Something big, larger than a person but smaller than a building, passed between two of them up ahead. It was… shaped wrong, somehow, like no creature Sheik had seen.

Another bellow sounded from where it had just disappeared, no doubt issuing from the creature itself. Link waved his hand forward, indicating the two of them should follow it. Sheik nodded and they jogged across the street, both holding their weapons to keep from jingling.

They each had a sword slung across their back, but Link had brought along his bow, and Sheik his metal darts. When facing an unknown enemy, it was a good idea to have long-range weapons as well as straight steel.

The creature, whatever it was, bellowed again as they rounded the corner behind it. Sheik nearly – nearly – gasped when he saw it didn't appear to have a head, but Link grabbed his arm again, so tightly that he knew he wasn't the only one afraid.

"I'll run around to the front," he hissed. "You stay behind it, take it out if you get the chance."

Sheik opened his mouth to answer, but Link touched his finger to Sheik's lips this time. He nodded instead.

His lips tingled as he watched Link run back around the building.

The next few seconds were tense, waiting for something to happen, watching the creature stomp through the street. It stopped again and started to bellow, but the sound turned sharper as something whizzed through the gloom. The creature half-turned, revealing a massive eye at the top of its chest, an even bigger mouth beneath it.

The mouth opened wide and another arrow flew inside it. It roared with pain and lashed out; slamming an arm on the ground and making it shake. Sheik heard Link cry out, and his vision went red…

Three of the darts struck the creature in its eye. The first two didn't seem to do anything, but the third made it scream and crash into the wall. A quick volley of arrows followed from Link's side of the building, and Sheik found himself running closer to the creature, closer than he should have, closer than was safe.

It was bleeding from its eye and flailing wildly, so it didn't see Sheik at its feet. He slashed at the knees, shins, whatever you called the body parts of a monster that wasn't remotely human. Whatever it was, it worked, and the creature crashed to the ground with a final cry. Sheik looked up just in time to see one last arrow fly into the soft shell of the eye.

He stumbled backward as it exploded into curls of smoke, and somehow wasn't surprised to find himself held up by strong arms.

Sheik stared up into Link's eyes, barely visible under the starlight, but he could see Link's expression mirroring his own. Scared and a bit confused, but not wanting to let go.

"I- I guess that explains what happened to the town."

"Maybe," Sheik agreed. "But if that was an eyegore, it's probably not the only one."

"Eyegore?"

Sheik nodded. "They appear in a few stories. We… we should probably leave too."

Link's face fell. "It's the middle of the night!"

"I know," Sheik sighed. "I'd rather be exhausted than dead."

"Yeah… I guess we should, ah, get dressed then."

"Um, yeah." All the important bits were covered, of course, but Sheik was very aware of how thin Link's undershirt was, and how bare his own arms were.

As they walked back to the inn, he couldn't help glancing over. Link was hugging his shoulders against the chill of the evening. He had a tattoo of the Hylian crest on his upper arm, not at all unusual for a former soldier. What was more interesting was the small black X on the web between his thumb and forefinger of his left hand. Sheik knew there were cities down south, far away from the capital and the so-called justice of the royal government, that marked thieves in such a way. It was no wonder Link wore fingerless gloves all the time.

"Hey, you know… that was pretty brave."

"Huh?" Sheik forced his eyes up to Link's face.

"The way you charged that thing earlier." He frowned a little. "Kind of reckless though."

"Y- yeah, I know." Sheik sighed. "I'm not too used to this. I never know whether to run forward or back."

"Back," Link said firmly. "If you're not sure, the answer is always back. What kind of travel companion would I be if I let you get killed?"

"You forget, I belong to the quest, not myself. If I get killed in the course of it-"

"If you get killed in the course of it, you won't have finished it!" Link interrupted. "Look, I… like you. So don't die."

Sheik raised his eyebrows. "That's to the point."

"What else needs to be said?"

"Nothing, I guess." Sheik smiled shyly. "I like you too."

When he glanced up again, Link was grinning at him. "What?"

"Nothing, just… Never seen you smile before. Not without the mask."

"And you probably won't again. I don't intend to go without it. I shouldn't have, even now, but… Wasn't a lot of time."

"Yeah." Link was still grinning. "You could though, couldn't you? When it's just you and me?"

"No," Sheik shook his head sadly. "I belong to the quest, not to myself. Not to you."

Link's face fell and he was quiet all the way back to the inn and while they packed up their things. Maybe Sheik had been too blunt, but it was true. No matter how much Link… liked him, Sheik couldn't afford to get close to him. Not with how much he was hiding. If Link was with him when he completed his mission, when he stopped being Sheik, he'd only wind up feeling betrayed. Sheik would stay with Link until he got a better idea of where he could find what he was looking for, then cut off ties. It was the best for both of them.

Even if it hurt every time he looked in those blue eyes.

Once Sheik was fully dressed, mask and all, he slung his pack over his shoulder and went to Link's room. He found him shoving something Sheik couldn't quite see into his bag.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." Link stood up. "How far do you think we have to get before it's safe?"

"I'm not sure. We'll follow the path, see if we can find where the townsfolk went."

Link nodded. "Lead on, oh mighty questor."

Sheik smiled, even though he knew Link couldn't see it, and did.


	5. Shadow

**Chapter Five: Shadow**

The old temple rose like a beast from the overgrown forest floor. It was a small one, barely enough room for a dozen people, and the boards over the door frame nearly as rotted as the door. Someone had tried to seal it shut, and from the plants growing up the walls and even from the roof, Sheik guessed they had succeeded.

Still, it was shelter, and after the events of last night both Link and Sheik really needed the comfort of a ceiling before they _finally_ went to sleep. The door turned out to be not so much rotted as repeatedly kicked in; evidently Link and Sheik were not the first ones to think of using this place.

As he climbed under the crumbling barricade, Sheik couldn't help noticing the look of the place. It wasn't like any modern temples. No pews or stained glass, just an open floor and alter at the back. There was some kind of reflecting pool beneath the alter, but the growth over the windows made the water look inky black.

Packs and spare cloaks were spread out in a corner to form a makeshift bed. There was some rather awkward half-sentences and gestures before they agreed to sleep close, but not really _together_-together. Exhausted, Sheik at least fell asleep almost instantly.

The shadow listened to them both breathe through the morning, and felt much better for it.

When Link woke, late-afternoon sunlight was streaming through the gaps in the branches. He smelled smoke, and sat up to find Sheik had lit a fire on the alter.

"Morning."

Sheik turned and smiled. His hair was still tousled from sleep, and even with the mask on his smile was stunning. Link coughed and pulled his makeshift blanket up a little higher.

"How long have you been up?"

"Not long. I pretty much rolled out of bed and got some wood."

Link refrained from making a very bad joke that would not have helped his current predicament. "Smells good. What are you cooking?"

Sheik stabbed something with his knife and pulled it out of the fire. "Found some wild apples."

"Water nearby?"

"Mm. There's a stream a little ways out back."

"Okay. I won't be long."

Link took his cloak with him, and Sheik didn't ask. The cold stream was enough both to calm him down and wake him up, and he was feeling much better when he returned to the temple.

Even though Sheik looked adorable with messy hair, Link had no such illusions about his own appearance. As he approached Sheik and the waiting breakfast, he glanced in the reflecting pool to try and flatten his bangs.

His reflection grinned at him.

Link yelped and jumped back, he heard Sheik drop something next to the alter. He scrambled over next to him, the sticky remains of a baked apple still clinging to his fingers.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah… Yes, I'm fine." Link leaned over the pool again. From the ink-black water, his own face stared up at him.

And winked.

"How many of there is you?" the reflection asked. When they both stared at it blankly, it scowled and added, "I know, I know, that was horrible grammar. I'm not sure how you say that properly. Is it 'are?'"

"Who- what are you?" Link demanded, wishing his sword wasn't buried in blankets.

"A shadow," the reflection said. "A _living_ shadow, I mean, you know, obviously. Because I can talk. Although… some dead things can talk too. But I'm not dead. I'm alive."

"Do you have a name?" Link asked. Sheik was clinging to Link's arm, and Link had yet to find a reason to ask him to stop.

"Lots! People keep giving me new ones. Dark will work, though. Dark was the first one."

"All right, Dark…" Link glanced around the temple. "Why are you here? Why are you in that pool?"

The reflection, Dark, winced. "Oh, you know… reasons."

"No," Link frowned, knowing that tone. "We don't know. Why not explain it to us?"

Dark sighed. "You're going to get all suspicious. I am a victim of racial profiling!"

"Of what?"

"If a human kills a person or two, they just ask why. If a shadow-person-thing kills a person or hundred, they go and seal him in a reflecting pool! It's not fair!"

"Hundred?" Sheik repeated, afraid. His grip increased. Still not a good enough reason to speak up.

"In my defense, that _was_ spread out over like fifty years. Maybe more. You'd be surprised how easy it is to lose track. And I was being paid for a lot of them too. Did some mercenary jobs. Hey do they still do that? Pay people to kill people?"

"All right, back up," Link held out his free hand, still unnerved when his reflection did not do the same. "You're a shadow."

"Yes."

"And you… killed a lot of people, and were imprisoned in this pool."

"Yes. A long time ago. I'm not sure if they ever meant to let me out, but I'd appreciate a hand?"

"Not on your life. You really think we're dumb enough to let a convicted murderer out of his prison based on nothing but his word?"

"I've seen your kind." Sheik's voice was low and dangerous, but his grip on Link's arm was starting to sting. "You take the form of a person, and you can copy all their movements. You're in the stories, at least three, maybe more."

"See? That's what I mean! You think just because my people _might_ have attempted to kill a hero or two that makes us _all_ killers?"

"You _are_ a killer," Link pointed out. "You admitted it yourself."

"Oh, well, if you want to get _technical_."

"I think we do." Link gently pried one of Sheik's hands off his arm and squeezed it in his own. "You okay?" he asked softly.

"I've seen his kind…"

"I'm not my kind, okay!" Dark snapped. He sounded serious this time. "Look, we're _people_, you know? We're not all the same! You can't judge us all by the example of one. How many honest hard-working citizens make it into the legends, huh? No! It's the ones who do crazy stupid shit that get remembered, even though they're maybe one in a thousand! I lived among humans for more than a hundred years. I made some mistakes. And the ones in the stories? I'm betting they were young. Shadows don't communicate like you meat-people, we talk to each other all the time. Suddenly not being able to hear everyone, having to use bits you didn't have a moment ago to speak, it's… it's disorienting! I wasn't good at it at first either, but I was lucky. I had friends who helped me." He shook his head. "When someone summons us, we obey. We don't have a choice. And if we've never had a physical body before, it's… It's…"

"Okay," Link said quietly. "All right, we understand."

"Sorry," Sheik added, though he still sounded scared. "You… you _are_ a killer, though."

"I was," Dark agreed. "A long time ago. A very long time. I've served my time; I've _paid_ for the lives I took."

Link and Sheik exchanged a glance. Sheik still didn't look convinced, but he squeezed Link's hand.

"Dark…" Sheik said slowly. "Do you, as a shadow, have abilities beyond just copying someone?"

"Oh sure. Well, _I_ do. Well, I _did_. It's been a while."

"Would you be able to tell if there's another shadow here? In this world? And who summoned it?"

"Well… not exactly. I'd know if someone was a shadow if I saw them, but I'd have to see them."

"Then I don't need you." Sheik let go of Link entirely and walked back toward the fire to put it out.

"Wait!" Dark exclaimed plaintively. "I can do other things. I can sense magic, I can feel it. And I can tell when there's been a rift in the world. I don't feel anything in here, nothing. I haven't for… so long." His voice sounded hollow. "Nothing but cold. I don't have a body, I can't feel warmth, so why… why is it so cold?"

"How long have you been in there?" Link asked, startled by what sounded for all the world like his own voice filled with pain.

"I don't know. No way to tell in here. I can't see unless someone looks in the pool and I can borrow their eyes. I can hear, though. I wonder why…"

"What was the year when you went in?"

"2696."

Link blinked. "What, but that doesn't make sense. It's 1385 now."

"He's going by the old calendar," Sheik said quietly. "That would have been about three hundred years ago." He paused, and thought. "Three hundred and twelve."

"That is a lot of years," Dark said. "Every… everyone I know is dead. Again." He sighed. "You know what? Leave me in the pool. Let me go insane. It would be a relief at this point. I'm tired of feeling bad for things I've done."

Link glanced at Sheik, who nodded.

"Dark, if I help you out of there, if I let you copy my shape, what will you do?"

"I have no idea."

Link chuckled. "All right, let's see if we can't help you with that." He bent over the pool. "How do I get you out of there?"

Beaming, Dark stretched a hand toward him. He still just looked like a reflection, but Link copied the motion and reached his opposite hand toward the water. It touched the surface, fingertips brushed his, and Link plunged his hand the rest of the way in and grabbed Dark's.

He yanked him out of the pool, somehow bone-dry, an identical twin in shades of black and gray.

Dark was still beaming as he ran his hands over his chest. He was dressed in clothes identical to Link's, only pants and an undershirt since he'd been sleeping, all in black. His eyes were a little more slanted, his canine teeth a little more pointed, but no one looking at them would doubt they were related. Even though they weren't.

Sheik shivered and returned to Link's side, offering him a warm piece of fruit. "If he tries anything…"

"Don't worry," Link assured him. "I won't let him hurt you."

Sheik laughed dryly. "That's not what I'm worried about."

"Okay!" Dark clapped his hands. "Point me to the nearest city; I need to learn how fashion has changed. Also, are there still whores? I need one of those. Unless you two-"

"No!" they exclaimed in unison.

"I was just _asking_." He crossed his arms and huffed, his hips jutting out. Despite Link's very masculine body, the shadow moved and stood like a woman. The next few days were going to be very confusing.

"Do you need to still be here?" Link asked Sheik, concern written all over his face. "I mean, for your quest. After last night, I wouldn't mind spending a few days in a city."

"Neither would I," Sheik said. "It's all right. There's someone I want to confer with anyway."

"You're on a quest?" Dark perked up. "Is that why you wanted to know if I can sense other shadows? I can in my natural form, actually, but only if _they're_ in their natural form as well. Is the shadow you're looking for taking the shape of a person? Do they look like _you_?"

"One at a time!" Sheik exclaimed, unable to hold back a small smile. "I can't talk about my quest, but… part of what I'm looking for looks like a copy of a person, yes."

"Well, shadows aren't the only shapeshifters, so that doesn't narrow it down a whole lot."

"I know." Sheik sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Let's pack up and get going. Where's the closest town, Link?"

"As long as it hasn't been abandoned, there's a mining town not far from here. We can probably get there by tomorrow night."

"Mining town? Then they must have a way to get to a bigger city."

Link nodded. "Last time I checked, at least."

"Will there be whores there?" Dark asked.

"Probably," Link said at the same time as Sheik exclaimed, "No!"

Sheik glared at him. Link shrugged. "Well there _are_. I'm just saying."

"We are not encouraging the murderer down a path of debauchery!"

"Please Mom?" Dark mock-whined. "Just one whore? Or two, but it will be at the same time so that hardly counts."

"I don't care," Sheik huffed and went to pack up his things. Link leaned against the altar and helped himself to the remaining baked apples. Dark glanced at Sheik before joining him.

"Hey, so, your girlfriend-"

"Sheik is just a friend," Link said. "And he's a man."

"Right. Well uh, does he know magic?"

"Yes, a bit."

"Awesome," Dark sighed, sounding defeated. "I guess I'm with you guys for a while."

"You can do what you want, you know."

"No, I don't know. That's the thing. I've been out of the loop for three centuries, I'm lucky the language hasn't changed too much! Much less just wandering off on my own and trying to make a life for myself. I don't have to eat, so… I mean, you don't _mind_ if I stick with you, do you?"

"I don't," Link shrugged. "Sheik might."

"And he's the one with the magic." The shadow scowled. "You should hurry up and bang him. Everything looks brighter from the other side of a come."

"Oh gods." Link rolled his eyes. "Are you going to be like this the whole time?"

"Hey, we're all adults here! I think we're adults. Your Sheikah is pretty short though, dang." He looked to where Sheik was bent over, shoving his cloak in his bag. "Not bad from the back."

"I am not even talking to you."

Sheik slung his bag over his shoulder, pulling on his gloves with his teeth. "Are you coming?"

The shadow grinned and Link elbowed him in the ribs before he could answer. "Yeah, just a second." He finished the apple and wrapped the rest in his handkerchief, handing Dark one to keep his mouth busy.

"Look," he said in a low voice, "I like Sheik a lot. A whole lot. But I don't even know if he fancies men, and I'm not going to screw up our traveling arrangement by making unwanted advances. Either way, if you keep implying it, I'll make sure we leave you behind. You'll have no friends, no one to help you. Got it?"

Dark nodded, mouth full.

"Good," Link smiled. "And we need to get you some clothes of your own."

"I like purple."

"I'm sure you do."

zzz

AN:

Who loves Dark?

I LOVE DARK.

Shit yeah.


End file.
